Non-combustible trash and waste paper container



1957 D. SUBARSKY 2,802,538

NON-COMBUSTIBLE TRASH AND WASTE PAPER CONTAINER Filed Aug. 1, 1955 ll zu in l I 2 FIG.4. -'.F|G.2.

INVENTOR. DANIEL SUBARSKY.

.fire automatically extinguished;

r i 1 Application August 1, 1955, Serial No. 525,561 6 Claims. (01.169-2) Thisinvention relates to containers for trash and waste paper, and more particularly to a lid attachable to a portable can or conventional container used for holding waste paper and other combustible trash, that will tend to overcome or reduce combustion arising from spontaneous combustion or accidental firing.

{A frequent cause of fire arises from those started in waste-baskets and other open industrial or domestic containers used for holding scrap paper and other combustible waste material. A cigarette, match or cloth smoldering dropped in the material becomes, in many instances, a blazing mass of flames, that can do considerable damage. So many fires "are induced in this manner throughout the'country, that it is considered a major cause of such happenings. The problem has not been solved in the devices already provided and considered for it. However in the matter of cigarettes and the like, device-shave been designed and made to extinguish them while resting on a bottle-like ash tray by using a holder for the cigarette Withits burning end suspended over the chamber within the tray and allowing it to burn itself out. This ar rangement however would not be suitable fora modern waste-basket or trash receiver of metal, as it would not extinguish a fire therein. In this invention, the main principle involved is that employing means for diverting a circulation of air Within the container and rendering samestagnant anddeficient in oxygen so the combustion is slowed up and eventually overcome and the This is accomplished through the use of an open and removable lid or crown placeable on the open top of the container, planned to obstructany circulation of air that would support combustiony'and thereby extinguish it. i

The invention includes in its objects the-provision of a new and improved trash receiver that will overcome one or more, of the disadvantages and limitations of the prior art;

' Another object of the invention is'to provide a'new and improved lid for a trash receiver that will deprive the container of an amount of fresh air that will be necessary to support'combustion within it, if a fire should be started init. i i

A further object of the invention is to provide a new andimprovedtrash can or Waste materials basket that and improved trash container assembly that will be simple in structure, economical to manufacture, easy toassemble and eflective in function, whenused for holding combustible material usually found in trash, and upon being susceptible to unauthorized ignition the arrangement of the parts of the .assembly being adapted to bring about an adverse composition of the air within, that will bring about an extinction of a tire arising in it, within a short time;

' Still another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved smothering crown for a trash conwill be self-extinguishing, if combustion is started within -Oth er objects-of this invention are to provide a new i d wn F 2,802,538 Pate nted Aug. 13, 1957 tainer,that will divert the gases arising from combustion within it back overitheburning'material and extinguish it with thegases asthey developinto CO2.

'other objeets of the invention will be apparent ash is more fully described.

For a better understanding of the invention and'its objects, reference is made to the'accompanying drawings wherein a particular form of'theinvention isillustrated, the descriptionof Which follows? Inth'edi'awings': Figure l is a'plan 'viewofa trash receiver embodying this nn... Figure 2 is a side elevation of Figure 1; i Figure 3 "is a bottom *view ofthe lid'or smothering drown used in this'erribodimentyam ffFi'gur'e' 4'is' a sectional elevation taken on line 4 4m; Figured, with the removable crown, shown halfin Seotionandhal'f infulli i "Similar reference numerals pertain to the samepart's thr'oughoutthe drawings. In thesti'uctureshown in the drawings there is shown a' container 10'of noncombustible material which is designed toh'oldjtrash and 'waste paper, and it follows conventional form in a general way. Its height from its'lbottomtoits top rim, 'is twice the diameten both' di ensions being taken on the inside of thecont-ainer.

lt igs preferably oficylindrioalshape with its walls 11 reint for a 12" inside diameter container to those of larger.

forced at the bottombyxa ring 12 which serves to keep 1t fifthe groiijhdand provide an air space 13 underneath. removable lid l li s provided for the top of the con{ tainer ltland it; is arbitrarily termed a smothering crown,

It is made of relatively thin and fiat material formed in" two frustrum'atical upper and lower sections 15 and 16, respectively, joined tightly together where their wide riins 17 meet, and with circular openings 18 and 19 respective- 1y provided-at thei'rwrestricted diametrical rims 20 and 21.1 "This leavesa chamber '22 within the walls shaped like thatuoftwo invertedcones '(See Fig. 4). The open ings'18 and 19 aresiriiilarin size and form, and are equal to 'subs'tantially one-halt ofthe inside diameter er ne f .The upper section 15 hasa downwardly directed collar 23 atiitsbpening 18fa'nd the rim nearby is reinforced with thin ring 124. The collar 23 is made deep enough to interfere with the draft induced along the tapering inside surface of the upper section and obstruct its emissionthnough the opening 18. The lower section 16 has a series. of aligned and spaced small holes 25 in its tapered wall, located halfway up. The size of these holes 25 increases from l/z diameter spaced 2" apart diameter in approximately direct proportion.

The rims 17 of the smothering crown 14 are arranged with a peripheral flat portion 26 adapted to rest on the upper rim of the container 10 and, in addition, a collar 27 running annularly within the portion 26 extends down aboutfi/if to holdthe crown 14 in place and seal it loosely to the container 10. This arrangement permits the crown to be put in place readily and also with the sections in the proper working position. This is neces; sary as the device will not work as intended, otherwise.

The sections are substantially symmetrical.

The inwardly upward converging wall of the lower section 16 serves as a trap for drafts occurring within the container It also restricts the chimney outlet. When combustion takes place in the container 10, the heated air and chemically combined products of. combustion tend to rise through the lower middle opening 19 into the chamber 22 and chculatedownthrough the holes 25, together with cold outer air coming down through the opening 18.. The combustion is completed and CO2 formed. The latter as it circulates through and over the burning 3 trash smothers it, reduces the burning, and eventually puts the fire" out. The' collar .23 diverts the burning gases down along the diverging; wall of the 'upper section towardsthe rim 17, where it bends to follow. the convergi ngfw'allo'f the lower sectionand through the holes 25. The Y gases continue down peripherally along the wall 11 of the container and then curves to comeup through the central area. This continues until the combustion is stopped. i I The device is easy to handle. It,is open at the top so as not to interfere with the usual loading of waste into it; Its appearance is attractive. 'It can be emptied quickly. In case water 'or other non-combustible liquid is needed to apply to the burning material within'fit; such can'be applied" without removing'the 'smotheringicrown, and the form of the latter an-d the holes in facilitate this application and'enablesthe crown to be cooled off.

In the operation of theinventionca'rbon dioxide which consists of twelve parts of carbon, and thirty two parts of oxygen is an excellent fire extinguisher. A chemical action is created when a fire starts in the container with a free current of air. Carbon monoxide, which consists oftwelve parts of'carbon, and sixteen parts of oxygen, is produced when the substance or material'in the container is being consumed. The crown or lid will cut off most of the oxygen supply. The existing oxygen, and the carbonmonoxide creates the carbon dioxide, which is forced down by the series of holes 25 in the lower section 1 6," thus causing a back draft'and extinguishing the fire. While but' one general form of'the invention is shown in the drawings and described in the'specification," it is not desired to limit this application'for patent to this particular form 'as it is appreciated that other forms of construction could be made that woulduse the same principles and come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed l. A trash container comprising in combination, a container open for'its -full area 'atthe top rim thereof, a removablesmothering crown placeable on said rim and fitting closely thereto, said crown consisting of a pair of sectionshaving converging walls joined together at their outer peripheries and open to half their width at the inner peripheries, the sections being fitted to the topof the container on their outer peripheries in a horizontal position and with holes in one of the sections to promote the circulation and recirculation of gases within the container in predetermined directions.

' 2; A trash container comprising in combination, a container open'for its full area atthe top rim thereof, a removable smothering'crown placeable on said rim and fitting closely thereto, said crown consisting of a pair of sections having converging walls joined together at their outer peripheries and open to half their'width'at the inner peripheries, the sections being fitted to the top of the container on their outer peripheries in a horizontal position and with holes in one of the sections to promote the circulation and recirculation of gases within the container in predetermined directions, said holes being aligned and spaced and relatively small and located in the wall of the section selected on a line outside the width of said openings so that the circulating gases will tend to How up centrally in the container and through said openings and return through the said holes close to the wall of the container.

3. A trash container comprising in combination, a container open for its full area at the 'top rim thereof; a removablesmothering crown placeable on s-aidrim and fitting closely thereto, said crown consisting of a pair of sections having converging walls joined together at their outerperipheries and open to half their width. at the inner peripheries, the sections being fitted to the top of thecontainer on their outer peripheries in a horizontal position and with holes in one of the sections to promote 'asoasss" the circulation and recirculation of gases within the container in predetermined directions, said sections being substantially symmetrical and forming an internal contour similar to that of two inverted cones; said sections being disposed one above the other in upper and lower relation; the lower section having the said holes therein located approximately one-half'the distance on the converging wall between its opening and the said 4. A trash container comprising in combination a container open for its full area at the top rim thereof; a removable smothering crown placeable on said rim and fitting closely thereto, said crown consisting of a pair of sections having converging walls joined together at their outer peripheries and open to half their width at the inner peripheries, the sections being fitted to the top of the container on their outer peripheries in a horizontal position and with holes in one of the sections to promote the circulation and recirculation of gases within the container in predetermined directions, said sections being substantially symmetrical and forming an internal contour similar to that of two inverted cones, said sections being disposed one above the other in upper and lower relation, the lower section having the said holes therein located approximately one-half the distance on the converging wall between its opening and the said rim, the height of the container being regulated by the internal width thereof andapproximately twice the internal diameter.

A trash container comprising in combinatioma container open for its full area at the top rim. thereof, a removable smothering crown placeable on said rim and fitting closely thereto, said crown consisting of a pair of sections having converging walls joined together at their outer peripheries and open to half their Width at the inner peripheries, the sections being fitted to the top of the container on their outer peripheries in'a horizontal position and with holes in one ofthe sectionsto promote the circulation and recirculation of gases within the container in predetermined directions, said sections being substantially symmetrical and' forming an internal contour similar to that of two inverted eones; said sections being disposed one above the other in upper and lower relation, the lower section having the said holestherein located approximately one-half the distance on the convergingwall between'its opening and the said Tim, the height of the container being regulated by the internal width thereof and approximately twice the internal diam: eter, the upper section including a downwardly directed collar for facilitating the downward movement of circulation through the peripheral area of the container and crown and continuing upwardly through the said opening in the central area of the container and sections.

6. A trash container comprising in combination a con-. tainer open for its full area at the top rim thereof, a rem v b e mothe in cr nrp acea on sai rim an fitting closely 'thereto, said crown; consisting of a pair of sections having converging walls joined together at their outer peripheries and open to half their. at: the inner peripheries, the sections being fitted to the top of the container on their outer peripheries in a horizontal position'and with holes in one of the sections to promote the circulation and recirculation of gases within the container in predetermined directions, said sections being substantially symmetrical and forming an internal contour. similar to that 'of two inverted cones, said sections being disposed one abovethe other in upper and lower relation,the lower section having the said holes therein located. approximately one-half the distance on the con-. verging wall between its opening and the'said rim, the heightof the container being regulated by the internal width thereof andapproximately twice the internal diameter, the upper section including a downwardly directed collar for facilitating the downward movement of circulation through the peripheral area of the container and References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Blake Sept. 11, 1945 6 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain June 25, 1930 

